Canalside Waterfront

Buffalo’s downtown Inner Harbor waterfront was transformed from vacant and underutilized land to a popular public destination within a few months, during an intense open public process led by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and local activists. Using the mantra of “Lighter Quicker Cheaper,” Project for Public Spaces led a process that resulted in a flurry of programs, events, and physical improvements that took the city by surprise and immediately made the waterfront a favorite destination. Since then, further development has made the waterfront a major destination and sparked many other revitalization projects in downtown.